The Language Of Symptoms: Body, Mind, Spirit Alternative Medicine Part One

by Ruah Bull PhD, CMT, CHT

In body/mind/spirit medicine, symptoms of the body are often thought to be meaningful communications from the unconscious and the soul. When we are experiencing symptoms, we are being invited to decode these very personal messages so that they can be understood and integrated. Part of the role of the healer is to assist clients in this process.

While writers, like Louise Hay, have popularized the notion of symptoms as messengers, they have unfortunately also inferred that a specific symptom is limited to one universal meaning; the same each time and for every person. When we believe this, we tend to look up our symptoms in a book instead of listening within to hear our own unique interpretation of what is going on. Through this inattention to and distrust of our intuition, the voice or our inner wisdom is slowly strangled.

If working with people for over 20 yeas has taught me anything, it is that the human body/mind is an extraordinarily creative entity. It speaks many languages – all of them beautifully. In this article series, I describe some of the issues commonly expressed through the “language of symptoms,” including physical trauma, stress, body image, energetic imbalance, karma and the readiness to heal previously unresolved wounds. Any of them might show up, for example, as a sore throat. In part two of this series, let’s take a look at how a sore throat might happen and why the context of a symptom is just as important as its physical expression.

About the Author: Ruah Bull, PhD, is a Spiritual Director, Energy Healer and Hypnotherapist, and Aromatherapist. Ruah is the co-author of two books on Subtle Aromatherapy: “Aromatherapy & Subtle Energy Techniques: Compassionate Healing With Essential Oils”  and “Aromatherapy Anointing Oils: Spiritual Blessings, Ceremonies, and Affirmations.”

About the Editor: Bobbie Grennier is a freelance writer (www.authorstour.com).